Arguing about Earthquakes
by Dipenates
Summary: Post-ep for episode 3.08 "Women of Qumar". CJ's outburst at the National Security Advisor prompts a discussion between Josh and CJ about the administration's stance on violence against women.


**Arguing about earthquakes**

**Warnings: **Violence against women is discussed.

**Spoilers: **Through 3.08: Women of Qumar

* * *

No one can argue any longer

about the rights of women.

It's like arguing about earthquakes.

- _Lillian Hellman_

* * *

"Can I help you with something, Josh?" She didn't look up from what she was writing, longhand, on the legal pad in front of her.

He didn't move from his spot in the doorway.

Her eyes flicked up. "I'm kind of busy here, Josh. What is it?"

He'd heard that tone in her voice before and it usually signalled that he was being a prize-winning, blue riband jackass. Or that somebody else was. He ignored the look she gave him as he closed the door behind him with a resolute click and sat down on the other side of her desk, one foot propped on the opposite knee.

"I heard that you yelled at Nancy McNally."

She laid down her pen deliberately and looked at him over the top of the frames of her glasses.

"And what _are_ they saying about that in the locker room, champ?" Her tone was two shades short of sardonic.

Josh's mouth hardened. "I shouldn't be interested in you shouting at the National Security Advisor ten feet from the briefing room?"

CJ held his gaze for a moment and then ducked her head.

"Be interested in whatever you want, Josh. I have work to do."

"I'm _interested _in you shouting your mouth off about foreign policy in the middle of the corridor when any of our illustrious colleagues of the fourth estate could have been wandering past shoving bagel in their faces."

CJ's head jerked up. "_You're _angry about this. You're _angry_?" She huffed a disbelieving breath. "I spent the day talking to the Chief of Staff, the Deputy Chief of Staff, the Communications Director and the Deputy Communications Director about the human rights abuses that Qumar not only _tolerates, _but facilitates through its legal system and its system of government. You know what response I got?"

Josh slid his eyes away from hers and looked at the floor. "Yeah."

"Ding! Ding! Ding! That's an exact quote. Thanks for playing. Although Leo also added in a little dismissive wrist flick, like I was bothering him with a suggestion for creating a Federal Bureau of Ice Cream."

CJ swivelled her chair so she was staring at her TV.

Josh frowned. "CJ, you know who the good guys are, right?"

"Do I know who the good guys are? Do I _know _who the good guys are?" CJ's mouth was hanging open. "Why yes, Joshua. I know exactly who the good guys are. They're the ones not beating the women. Or not giving money to the ones beating the women. So, today, very much _not _us."

Josh cleared his throat. "CJ, are you ok?"

"Ok?" She raised an eyebrow. "Josh, I'm furious. Which part of my words, tone or demeanour is making that emotion difficult to discern?"

He hesitated. "I mean, is there something that's making you particularly aerated about this?"

CJ laughed, cruelly, and Josh decided he could go forever without hearing that sound again.

"You mean you'd like to hear my teenage rape story now? Or the tale of college dating violence? Because then I would have a good reason to be angry? Because funding a nation that institutionally oppresses women and then holds out its begging bowl to the standard bearers for liberty, truth and the American way isn't a good enough reason to get my petticoats mussed?"

She took a deep breath. "Tell me something, Joshua. When Sam gets irate about healthcare or school vouchers, do you ask him when the last time was that he took his public school educated five year old to a free clinic?"

"CJ—"

"But I'm supposed to have a sob story all ready and optionable by the Lifetime Channel? Because this isn't a political issue but an issue borne of victimhood and emotionalism?"

He looked up to meet her scornful gaze. "I never fail to be disappointed by where the men in my party are on this."

Josh sat up straight. "That's unfair, Claudia Jean." His voice was low. "We're not all the unfeeling dolts you make us out to be."

CJ leaned back in her chair and tapped her long fingers together. "So that wasn't you smarting off to Amy Gardner today about forced prostitution? And taking soundings from Donna who, god knows though I love her, is neither a lawyer nor a policy expert? Do you ask Donna what we should do with Medicaid?"

Josh gripped the arms of his chair. "I was asking Donna for a man in the street view."

CJ snorted.

"_Woman _in the street view then. You know what I mean."

"Sure, Josh. You're totally hip to the issue."

Josh listened to CJ breathe. "CJ, I'm trying–"

Her tone was chilly. "Trying to what?"

He paused. "At Yale one of my L1 classmates was," he waved his hands, "raped. I didn't know her very well but she was brilliant. First in our class, which was no easy get."

CJ's face shifted from scorn into something more neutral.

"I never spoke to her about it. I never spoke to anyone about it. I just watched her look more tired and sick until one day she didn't come back. And no one ever mentioned her again." He sighed. "We were all so competitive and working so hard to get where we needed to go that we just let her fall overboard."

CJ took her glasses off and rubbed her eyes. "And what?"

"And nothing." He shook his head. "I don't know what you want me to say, CJ."

"So I'm supposed to be grateful for that confidence, Josh?" CJ's voice was weary. "The fact that you watched some poor girl tread water and drown without so much as lending her some study guides gives you insight into violence against women? Do I show you the secret handshake now? Or do we listen to some Fiona Apple together?"

"CJ—" Josh was almost pleading.

"It's lonely pushing these issues in this boys' club, Josh. In this unforgiving environment. Where you who took fire in the line of duty, which is a narrative so oozing with testosterone there's a Clint Eastwood movie about it, couldn't talk about it with your colleagues who adore you. Until one day you were so far gone you were getting fresh with the President. And then people had to care."

"Yeah." Josh's voice was so quiet that if she hadn't seen his lips move then she wouldn't have been sure he'd spoken at all.

CJ picked up a rubber band that was lying on her desk. "The President told Toby to apologise to me. He told him to apologise without knowing what the apology was for. Anything to make the scary, angry lady stop talking about what they do to rape victims in Qumar."

"You know the President loves you, CJ."

"It's more his respect that I'm looking for." Her eyes were glittering now. "I have the greatest of admiration for this President and the men he surrounds himself with. But I'm the only female senior advisor to the President and, as much as I have a constituency of one the same as the rest of you, I can't sit down and shut up when they're beating the women. Because there but for the grace of God, Josh."

"I'm sorry." _For politics. For the way of the world. For this not being enough of an issue to sacrifice a refuelling base over._

"Yeah."

"You going to be ok?"

She shot him a look and he smiled internally at the infinite variety of expressions that she could make that added up to _you're a dumbass. _

"I've just got to finish this and then I'm heading home for four hours delicious and restorative sleep."

"Tomorrow's a new day."

"That it is, Joshua Ann. That it is."

It was as close to a benediction as she could offer. And he knew that it was more grace than any of them deserved.


End file.
